Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe

by Dean Nicholson

As far as the world was concerned, the kitten and I were traveling companions. We may have been an odd couple, but we were a couple, nevertheless.

All in all, I thought as I cycled along, she’d taken over my life. Become my number one obsession. That was, perhaps, the biggest change. Wherever we were now, I found myself asking a constant series of questions. Where’s Nala? Is she happy? Is it time for her next meal? Is she warm enough? Where is she going to sleep tonight?

She’d become my priority, the center of my world.

Nala had made my journey so much richer. She was making me a more responsible, more thoughtful person, too. Giving me some purpose. She’d been the best thing to happen to me for a long, long time.

“Sometimes a single animal can change everything,”

“And that’s why you’ve got such a treasure on your hands with this one.”

I waved my arms in surrender. I grabbed my bike and the rest of my gear. I wasn’t traveling without Nala at my side.

you don’t need money to be kind to another creature.

Georgia may be a poor country, but as I’d already discovered, the most hospitable people are often those who have the least.

Seeing these poor creatures made me cling even tighter to Nala. She’d been in the same boat as them; left to her own devices, alone and helpless. Thank God I’d found her and was able to give her a healthier, safer life.

I decided to live in the moment and stay focused on my main priorities: looking after Nala and getting on with my new job.

As far as I was concerned, my place now was with Nala. I wanted to continue my journey with her, to finish off what we had started.

my mind was made up. Nala’s welfare was too important to take the risk of India.

the thought that Nala and I were completely alone in the world wasn’t so bad at all. It felt like a welcome break.

If I had learned anything, it was to expect the unexpected.

I loved her because of what she had added to my life. Because of the meaning she’d given it—the new sense of responsibility, the purpose and direction she’d brought me. She had set me on the right path.

As long as we stuck together, I knew we’d be fine.